Breitling introduced three Top Time chronographs on 20 July, all built around the same idea: a ring of wood set into the dial, cut to recall the steering wheel of the Aston Martin DB5. The Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Aston Martin DB5 is an official piece for Breitling's partnership with the carmaker, and it leans on a shared bit of 1960s history. The Top Time was Breitling's affordable chronograph for a younger buyer, and one early reference reached the wrist of Sean Connery's Bond in Thunderball. The DB5 belongs to the same decade and the same films.
The wooden ring
The detail worth looking at first is the flange. Breitling has set a band of wood between the dial and the tachymeter scale, its grain standing in for the walnut wheel of the 1963 car. It is real wood rather than a printed pattern, so no two rings are quite alike, and the words ASTON MARTIN DB5 run around the outer edge. On the steel model the wood sits against a silver dial with two recessed black registers; on the gold model it frames a black onyx dial. It is the sort of flourish that either reads as a considered link to the car or as set dressing, and the choice of a real material rather than a decal at least argues for the former.
Three editions
The steel version has a silver dial and is the largest run, limited to 1,022 pieces, with ONE OF 1022 engraved on the caseback. It lists at EUR 10,500, USD 11,400 or GBP 8,650 (reference AB0178121G1X1). A second version keeps the steel case but adds a platinum bezel, drops to 315 pieces, and moves to EUR 16,500, USD 18,600 or GBP 14,400 (reference PB0178121B1X1). The top of the set is an 18k red gold case with a black onyx dial, limited to 250 pieces at EUR 40,500, USD 41,500 or GBP 35,100 (reference RB0178131B1X1).
Case and movement
All three share a 41mm cushion-shaped case and 100m of water resistance. Inside is Breitling's own calibre B01, the automatic chronograph the brand has used across its range since 2009: a column wheel, a vertical clutch, chronometer certification from the COSC, and about 70 hours of reserve. The sapphire caseback carries the same script on each edition, with the Aston Martin wings engraved over the movement, MANUFACTURE EN SUISSE around the rim, and TRIBUTE TO DB5 below.
Where it sits
The Top Time is the accessible end of Breitling's catalogue, which is what makes the pricing spread interesting. The steel piece is a EUR 10,500 chronograph with an in-house movement and a genuine partnership behind it. The red gold version, at almost four times that, is a different proposition aimed at a collector who already knows which Bond car they mean. The wood ties them together, and it is the part that will date best or worst depending on how the grain wears. Details at breitling.com.
